Advice to Help Planning for the Future

We are so thankful for the outpouring of advice that has flooded in for us to share with the Autism Speaks Community. Who better to give advice than you all, the people that know best! We have heard from people on the autism spectrum, parents, siblings, teachers, therapists, and beyond. Your advice has been broken down into categories, and we will post accordingly!

It gets better! Take one day at a time and remember that there can be a wonderful future for these kids. Love them and support them as much as possible. –Leann

The best advice I can give a newly diagnosed family is to have a plan, be consistent, and take it one day at a time. And always remember, everyday is progress! –Whitney

Although you need to plan for the future, don’t get unnecessarily “worked up” worrying about all the various “what ifs.” Narrow your worries to immediate concerns. The “what ifs” may never materialize. Trust in yourself that you will never accept the way someone tells you to do something as being the “only way”! I have found the best result in everyday life has come from “thinking outside the box”. You must put yourself in their shoes and feel, smell, see, hear what they do and then you can address the situation. – Kimery

Be ready to deal with what comes in the future. –Joy

We rode the train to our local zoo and when I corrected my son as to which side to get off the train he had a huge tantrum, lots of people staring it was horrible. I told his teacher about the incident and she said, “Lora, you can’t let what other people think EVER bother you, they have no idea what you are going through so just forget them!” The next time we went to the Zoo my girlfriends asked if I wanted to “avoid” the train and after a moment I said, “No. I want to go straight to the train”. I am not putting him in a bubble.” He never had a problem with the train since. Live your life and don’t let other’s stares or commentary get you down. Their judgment, their problem. –Lora

Be patient, go with the flow, seek the best therapy you can find, and love them through it all. –Sharon

Sometimes you just need treat them like they are normal… they act up discipline them, they do something great give them a kiss and show them all the time they are loved… –Marlene

I am not a parent but I do work with kids with autism. Just remember treat them with respect and treat them as you would any kid. –Debbie

Be your child’s own “job developer”! When it comes to your son/daughter, who knows them better than you do? Think expansively when considering an workplace area that may best suit their needs, and then network, network, network! Never give up! –Ian

It isn’t a sprint. It’s a marathon. Think about the big picture. -Robin

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We applied to the division of Vocational Rehabilitation for assistance in helping my son transition to a job and/or college after high school. He was accepted and they have so far been great… we are getting some concrete answers regarding what skills he needs in order to transition. We applied when he was 16. Some areas have a school to work alliance program called SWAP or something similar to apply to..

I am going threw a very heard time right now. My son was diagnosed last month . I am getting a second opinion . I hav done tremendous researc he does not show these red flags or symptoms . I do not know why children speciality hospital did this . Is it a money making scam ? i am getting second diagnosis . So I do no think im biased or in denial . However , do you thing any child with a little speech delay or motor skills delay is diagnosed to b autistic is right ? 10 out of 100 kis in nj diagnosed . this is not right .

I remember when my son was going through the process of being diagnossed. I also sought out a second oppinion. 10 out of 100 kids is a really high number, and it doesn’t seem right. But here are a some things that may help you in your search for what is really going on with your son: Does he make eye contact? Does he respond to someone when they call his name? Does he have any interest in playing with other children? Does he play with toys the way they are ment to be played with, or in his own way? Any one of these things on its own doesn’t add up to autism, but coupled with a speech delay, it might. I just want to reach out to you and say, don’t be afraid of an Autism label. If it is inaccurate, he can always be reevaluated later. Right now, the services he will recieve will help him out with whatever delays (speech, ect…) he may have. I know that this is really hard and really scarey, but you have a whole community of people who know exactly what you are going through.